Note: The Prescript-Assist supplements discussed in this article are no longer available. Please click here to learn more about a substitute, the Daily Synbiotic from Seed.
If you’ve ever experienced a diverticulitis attack, I’m sure you’d be the first to say that it’s not a pleasant experience. I bet you’d be willing to do a lot of things to prevent it from happening again! Or maybe you’re someone who has been diagnosed with diverticulosis by your gastroenterologist, but you’re not quite sure what to do to prevent those painful attacks you’ve heard about and you want to learn more. Whatever brought you here, I’m happy to have you. Today I’ll be providing tips on how to prevent diverticulitis attacks naturally.
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What Is Diverticular Disease?
Diverticular disease is the term used to encompass a spectrum of issues from diverticulosis (the presence of sac-like pouches called diverticula that protrude from the colonic wall) to diverticulitis (the inflammation of these pouches and the accompanying symptoms). Diverticular disease is common in the Western world, with the highest rates seen in the United States and Europe. Even in those countries the disease was almost unheard of in 1900, but by the 1970s it was the most common affliction of the colon. (1)
Diverticular disease has been shown to increase with age – by 80, it is estimated that approximately 70% of individuals have diverticular disease. (2) The highest estimates suggest that approximately 20% of patients with diverticulosis (remember these are the people with the pouches, not the acute inflammation of the pouches) will at some point develop diverticulitis. (3) However, newer and more accurate estimates suggest that this rate is somewhere between 1 and 5%, depending on the strictness of qualifying criteria. (4) This is important to note for those who have been diagnosed with diverticulosis but are currently asymptomatic – according to these newer estimates, it is unlikely that you will develop diverticulitis. However, if you have diverticulosis and want be sure to prevent any problems or you’ve had diverticulitis attacks in the past, continue reading!
Despite the fact that diverticular disease is so common, we know relatively little about it and the common recommendations are based on limited data. If you’ve been diagnosed with diverticulosis, you may have received advice from your gastroenterologist about avoiding nuts and seeds and eating more fiber. However, these recommendations are based on inconclusive research and may not provide much benefit to you. In fact, few studies show any benefit to avoiding nuts and seeds and one study even showed that intake of nuts and popcorn was associated with a decreased risk of diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding. (5) High fiber diets are also often recommended, despite inconclusive evidence. (6) It is evident that recommendations for diverticular disease are due for an update.
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Underlying Factors That Contribute to Diverticulosis
Newer research suggests that the factors underlying diverticular disease are the following: (7, 8)
Inflammation
While inflammation is well-accepted in the model of acute diverticulitis, more and more research points to the involvement of chronic low grade inflammation in the development of symptomatic diverticulosis. In fact, of 930 patients undergoing surgery for symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD), approximately 75% of them had evidence of chronic inflammation in and around the diverticula. (9) It is for this reason that drugs used for treating inflammatory bowel disease like mesalamine are being used to treat diverticular disease with good results as well (but hang tight, we’ll talk about natural ways to prevent diverticulitis, of course!). This is also why chronic use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen have been shown to increase the risk of diverticular complications (10, 11), since they are known to increase intestinal inflammation. (12, 13)
Fecal calprotectin can be measured to identify intestinal inflammation, and is high in those with symptomatic diverticular disease compared to those with functional digestive tract disorders like IBS and those with asymptomatic diverticular disease. (14) If you’re wondering whether you may have intestinal inflammation, it’s a great thing to get tested (and you can order a stool test from a specialty lab like Genova Diagnostics which will measure it). It is clear that chronic inflammation is involved in the development of diverticular disease, and that those who wish to prevent attacks should take steps to reduce intestinal inflammation.
Thankfully, one of the best ways to decrease intestinal inflammation is to eat a paleo diet! By avoiding potentially irritating and inflammatory foods such as grains, omega-6 fatty acids and lactose, we can reduce intestinal inflammation and encourage proper gut health. A paleo diet also positively influences gut bacteria, which in turn results in reduced inflammation as well. A paleo diet for diverticular disease should focus on gelatinous cuts of meat, bone broths, well-cooked vegetables, starchy tubers, and fermented foods.
Reducing your stress level is also important for bringing down levels of intestinal inflammation, as stress has been shown to activate inflammation in the intestine. (15) Stress can absolutely wreak havoc on the gut, so it is essential that any program focused on preventing diverticulitis attacks include proper stress management. This means incorporating mind-body activities such as yoga, meditation, tai chi, etc on a regular basis. If you’re someone who’s constantly stressed out and never takes time to take care of your own well-being, it’s unlikely you’ll be successful in preventing diverticulitis attacks even if you implement all the other suggestions outlined in this article. This one is important!
Another way to reduce an inflamed intestine is to supplement with soothing and healing demulcent herbs – deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) has been shown to reduce mucosal damage and inflammation in rodents (16, 17) and it is likely that other demulcent herbs such as slippery elm and marshmallow root may have the same effect. Take chewable DGL tablets or mix a spoonful of slippery elm or marshmallow root powder in a small amount of water and drink 1-3 times per day to help soothe and heal an inflamed intestine. Another healing substance for the gut – bone broth – should be liberally consumed for this purpose as well.
Altered Intestinal Bacteria
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is common in diverticulitic patients. (18) Rifaximin, a non-absorbable antibiotic (meaning it only affects the gut, not the rest of the body), has been shown to effectively treat SIBO (19) and this treatment has also been shown to improve diverticular disease outcomes. (20) Bacterial overgrowth, along with fecal stasis inside the diverticula, can contribute chronic dysbiosis which can lead to low-grade inflammation (21), so improving gut bacterial balance is crucial to reducing intestinal inflammation.
Probiotic supplementation has been shown to be safe and potentially useful in diverticular disease (22) and is likely to be even more beneficial when combined with other therapies. If you’re not already consuming probiotics from your food (in the form of kefir, kombucha, kimchi, etc) then you should consider adding a supplement like VSL #3 or Prescript Assist (though even if you are consuming probiotics, a supplement isn’t a bad idea!). As Chris has mentioned, Prescript Assist tends to be the probiotic of choice for those suffering from constipation so start with that if you tend to err on the side of decreased motility.
Prebiotics are also very useful for correcting dysbiosis, and should be considered by those with diverticular disease. Prebiotics “stimulate selectively the growth and/or activity of intestinal bacteria associated with health and well-being” (23), which is exactly what we want when we’re trying to shift the balance of the microbes back to the good guys. My go-to prebiotic is Pure Encapsulations fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) powder, but others include GOS and even lactulose. Supplementation with 10g of FOS per day has been shown to increase counts of bifidobacteria. (24) As with all prebiotics, it’s important to start with a very small amount and increase slowly. If you’re sensitive to FODMAPs you’ll want to be particularly careful as prebiotics are also FODMAPs. However, if you tolerate them well I think prebiotics can be a powerhouse when it comes to correcting imbalanced gut flora.
Most importantly, it’s crucial to treat SIBO or dysbiosis. As we’ve discussed, these conditions are very common in those with diverticular disease so it’s worth checking on your gut bacteria to see how they’re doing, using specialty labs such as Genova Diagnostics (and get your calprotectin tested while you’re at it!). It’s best to work with a practitioner who can test and treat you for these conditions.
Abnormal Colonic Motility
Researchers have found that those suffering from symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease have what they like to call a “spastic colon” in the areas affected by diverticulosis. (25) This is similar to what is found in patients with constipation predominant IBS and in functional constipation. These same researchers also found that patients with diverticulitis disease have reduced density of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC for short – a fun name for the “pacemaker cells” of the intestine). (26) In studies on animals with a lack of ICC networks, delayed or absent intestinal motility is noted. (27, 28) What this means for diverticular patients is that these lack of networks and a spastic colon can cause increased symptoms in terms of constipation and bloating/pain. Though we’re not entirely sure what we can do to directly affect these cells (yet), it’s important to use therapies aimed toward improving motility if this is an issue for you.
Know that correcting SIBO and dysbiosis will go a long way toward improving constipation, so this is a good place to start. Given that our stool is mostly made up of dead bacteria, one can imagine that without proper amounts of good bacteria we’re going to have a tough time bulking the stool. Prebiotics can be particularly useful for constipation given that they selectively increase good bacteria like bifidobacteria. However, if you’re still struggling after correcting dysbiosis, here are some additional recommendations.
First, serotonin is an important player in gut motility. Serotonin concentrations in those with colonic diverticulosis are significantly lower than normal controls and contribute to the type of bowel habit following a test meal. (29) Serotonin transporter (SERT) transcript levels are also lower in those with a history of diverticulitis compared to controls and those with asymptomatic diverticulosis. (30) Inflammation is also known to decrease SERT expression and function (31, 32), so following the recommendations to lower intestinal inflammation is of course the first step to improving gut motility. In addition, it is also likely that supplementation with 5-HTP (a precursor to serotonin) may alleviate constipation and increase motility since it will increase serotonin levels. Note: do not take 5-HTP without talking to your doctor first if you are on an SSRI medication.
Second, if you’re currently on a low carbohdyrate paleo diet, you may want to consider increasing your carbohydrate intake. In my experience working with those with constipation on a paleo diet, this is the single most effective diet-based recommendation I’ve seen. If you’re at a loss as to what starches to add in, check out this excellent handout from Balanced Bites. Note: since SIBO is so common for those with diverticulosis, this step may need to wait until that has been treated, and may not be appropriate for some people.
Magnesium supplementation can also be very useful for people with constipation. Given that only about half of US adults consume the RDA for magnesium (33), it’s safe to say that a lot of us probably aren’t getting enough. This is due to the fact that not many foods naturally contain high amounts of magnesium, and even those that do have less due to the depletion of magnesium from our soil. Check out this magnesium soil content map to see how your local area is doing (and think about where most of your food comes from – if you’re not eating local you may not even know what soil your food is being grown in!).
Conclusion
By reducing our intestinal inflammation, balancing our gut bacteria, and improving our intestinal motility it is likely that we can prevent diverticulitis attacks. I’ll leave you with a set of action steps so you remember exactly what to do to improve these underlying factors.
Action Steps to Prevent Diverticulitis Attacks:
- Eat a paleo diet!
- Reduce stress
- Use demulcent herbs such as DGL, slippery elm, and marshmallow root to soothe and heal the intestine
- Take probiotics like VSL #3 or Prescript Assist
- Take prebiotics like FOS powder
- Treat SIBO or dysbiosis
- Reduce intestinal inflammation to increase SERT functioning, and consider supplementation with 5-HTP
- If you’re currently on a low carbohdyrate paleo diet, consider adding some starchy tubers to your diet
- Supplement with magnesium
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I have had many attacks, just recovering from the last one 2 wks ago. The thing that ALWAYS will trigger for me is pistachio nuts. I had a small scoop of pistachio ice cream, thinking I should not. But what the heck…only a tablespoon. Six hours later I was in agony. I started on garlic tea immediately and liquid diet. The garlic tea is my lifesaver. Now I am doing slippery elm tea and kefir daily as prevention. I live in fear of the next attack.
I just stumbled on this board and thought I’d share my (limited) experience with diverticulitis.
In mid December 2015 I started feeling a sharp stabbing pain in my lower left abdomen. It was intermittent, and the bouts would last for maybe 10-15 seconds at a time, a couple of times a week. I wrote it off, but the bouts got worse and more frequent. December 26 the pain was so bad I finally went to the emergency room. After an X-ray and a CT scan, I was diagnosed with diverticulitis, given a 10-day prescription of Cipro and Flagyl, and sent home. When the prescription ran out, the pain started to come back so my primary care physician put me back on for another 20 days. The meds made me feel terrible in other ways but I stuck it out and they did the job of clearing up the infection. During this 30-day period, my doctor instructed me to let my gut rest as much as possible and put me on an extremely limited diet. I frankly didn’t feel like eating much and was afraid to eat anything. This initial eating plan was limited to: white rice, rice crackers, rice cakes, rice noodles, bone broths, smooth almond butter, ginger tea, turmeric tea. No sugar, honey, wheat, dairy, meat, veggies or fruit. I also had 2 daily servings of Bio-K Probiotic Rice/Blueberry drink (50 billion) – once first thing in the morning on an empty stomach – and once right before bedtime.
After the 30 days were over, then we started adding select items back in to my diet slowly as the gut was still healing. First we added in organic applesauce. Then a week later we added in plain hummus. Next week: mashed yams. Week after that: Avocado, etc. We agreed to add one item in every week to see how I did. If it didn’t feel good then we knew exactly what food to eliminate. Also, I was instructed to keep my portions no bigger than the size of half a sandwich. I stuck with this eating plan for anther month. By the end of February I was able to have smoothies and fresh pressed veggie juices. I started making my own almond milk from scratch and that’s what I’d use in my smoothies, along with organic frozen pineapple, frozen mango chunks, and plant protein powder. I was feeling pretty good by mid-March and my doctor said I could start adding more things back in (no restrictions except keep the portion size the same – about the size of half a sandwich). So here we are in April and I’m still doing probiotics Bio-K rice drink twice a day, I have a morning smoothie for breakfast, lots of water throughout the day and a serving of fresh veggie juice, but I also can eat limited amounts of sensible food (rice, beans, soft-cooked chicken, soft scrambled eggs, simple salads). I keep some japanese pickles (Tsukemono) in the fridge and nibble on those once in a while for added probiotics. I’m about 20 lbs lighter and look/feel great. I try to stay away from wheat, processed sugar and alcohol as much as possible, but I’ve had some in really small amounts with no ill effects. Gut is still healing but definitely improved and continues to improve. That’s where I’m at today in April 2016. The journey continues.
Research Aloe Vera Juice from your local health food store. It has helped more than anything else in healing my issues with diverticulitis. Start out slow on 1-2 oz. on an empty stomach both morning and night. It is wonderful. I use Aloe Farms brand by the gallon. There are other good brands like Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Juice and George’s Aloe Vera Juice.
Wow Emmie, this is great info. It sounds like you have a good doctor. My experience has been that the gastro docs don’t always give such good diet advice. Where do you live? I would love to find a doc like yours. Best of luck with your healing process.
Hi Katy – The December ‘attack’ (and ER visit) happened while I was visiting Vancouver, Canada. I live in San Francisco and my primary care doctor is there – however – she was out on maternity leave at the time I sought the ER follow-up once I got home from Canada. So I saw the nurse practitioner in that office and that’s who I’ve been working with on diet. I also did a lot of reading and it seemed that people who had a regular probiotic regimen did much better than people without. I still do the Bio-K drink at least once a day, and now drink kombucha as well. Once your gut is healed, over-eating is definitely an issue (no matter what kind of food), so portion control is really key.
I also had 2 daily servings of Bio-K Probiotic Rice/Blueberry drink (50 billion) – Where do you buy this??
I buy the Bio-K at Whole Foods. They have it in the refrigerated Probiotic section, usually near the vitamins.
Emmie ask your doctor about Levofloxacin. It’s been fantastic in my recoveries. A pill a day for seven days and no side effects. I had Flagyl and found that to be a bit nasty. I got nauseous with that which then you have to pop anti-nausea drugs.
Tony
Levofloxacin and other flouroquinolone antibiotics are extremely dangerous drugs that can cause chronic disability. I do not recommend taking those drugs unless it is a life or death situation. Just because you may tolerate it the first time you take it doesn’t mean you are in the clear either. Please do research on the effects before taking it.
Yeah, No! Thats first thing my doc suggested when I said I thought was having D-attack… my remark and she agreed, was : already have hearing loss in one ear (20/80 % use/lost) cant afford to go totally deaf. Why do we use some of the strongest antibiotics on the planet (and they love to combine with Flagyl!!) Instead of starting light? !?! Is there any wonder that we have resistant strains? Has to be some other way. What about berberine, which has antibiotic properties?
Hi Dawn, I’m glad you knew not to take any fqs, a lot of people, like myself, didn’t know how bad they were until they cause damage. I have tendonosis /tendonitis in both my achilles tendon and a whole lot of other problems months later. I don’t have diverticulitis, I’m doing research for my father so I can’t answer your questions. At the er they put my dad on levaquin and flagyl, I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again. If you know people who take any fqs make sure to tell them how dangerous they can be!
Since my GP visit, I was referred to Urologist (have ALWAYS spilled red blood cells microscopically in my urine). I put CIPRO down under allergies and he honored that and prescribed an old school antibiotic (penicillin family). My diet is LCHF with addl fiber in both soluble & insoluble forms as well as probiotics. Rx was following a procedure that could intoduce bacteria into bladder, so im okay with it. Havent had another dose of antibiotics in 10 years (last diver attack & was Rx’d Ciprofloxacin & Flagyl at that time. Not sure when my hearing loss happened or what caused. I suspect Menieres as it is strictly one-sided. But dont want to lose anymore than I have.
My doctor put me on Levoquin and I almost immediately had blisters on my tongue that peeled and a tendon in my left arm that tore. Buy immediate I mean after two pills. It is a very dangerous drug. Now almost a year later my tendon has healed, however my tongue still blisters and peals. My doctor tested my tongue for infection and there is none. It is cause by the Levoquin. It doesn’t hurt but having your tongue routinely blister and peel is not the most pleasant thought.
I’ve been struggling with diet now for more than 5 years. The doctor that originally diagnosed me told me I couldn’t eat wheat, rice, potatoes, corn, oats or bran. No seeds or nuts. Only 100% whole grain wheat, 100% whole grain brown rice and only steel cut oats. No packaged or prepared foods. I’m reading labels and avoiding anything with modified food starch(wheat), potatoes starch, rice flour, corn syrup. Which leave me with vegetables and meat.
With a change in insurance came a change in doctors, who confirmed the previous diet. However he did say that nuts and seeds were ok. I had a very bad flare up almost immediately. l’m at a loss. Sometimes I can follow the diet other times I give up. Probiotics haven’t helped so far. Yet the doctor says it’s not that advanced. I’ve been to the ER at Vanderbilt during one flare up and the doctor there said I wouldn’t need to concern myself with a colonoscopy for a few more years as was confirmed by my primary care, who says I don’t need a gastroenterologist yet. I’m about to give up.
Levofloxacin made one of my best friends so ill she has been house bound for 2 years. She has flouroquinolone poisoning – her tendons bowed, she has pain all over and is only beginning to recover. She is a psychologist, was a musician (her hands are frozen so she can’t play piano or guitar) and was an extremely fit and healthy person. The fluoride in Levofloxacin and other flouroquinolone antibiotics poisons some people’s mitochondria. Do not take these antibiotics unless you have a life threatening illness and no other antibiotics will work!
I’m scared now after reading this. My dr had me take levofloxacin for bronchitis for 10 days just finished 5 days ago. I’m also having flare up of dv
I hope that you’re doing okay even after taking the levaquin. My father has diverticulitis and had taken levaquin and cipro many times before for his flare ups, but the last he took it for a flare up he began having ankle tendon pain and knee pain, so he decided he won’t be taking any more levaquin or cipro. His last flare up he was prescribed bactrim and flagyl for 10 days, which are much safer than any fluoroquinolone antibiotics. I would recommend that you stick to safer antibiotic combinations, and only resort to cipro or levaquin if you absolutely must (AKA if the other antibiotics don’t work) I was hurt by 2 pills of cipro that I was prescribed to treat a uti, and 5 months later I still have constant pain. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Hi am 25 years old and I have three beautiful girls 7,3, and 1 year old. I was diagnosed with diverticulitis n February 3 2016. This came out of left field. My doctor and nutritionist said to start a low fiber diet for two weeks and gradually start high fiber diet. They also say to stay away from process food, fried food, and fast food. My diverticulitis came from over eating and no fiber intake. Am scared for ny life because I don’t know where to start. HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!
Good Luck, I just was diagnosed last year…I added a good probiotic, read up on them or go to your local organic food shop and ask, drink Aloe Juice, I use Georges as it tastes like water, it’s expensive but you only need to drink it in small amounts. Bone broth is also very good.
I was diagnosed 2 months ago. I take a probiotic every day. I do not ingest the capsule, but open it and mix it in with my morning Greek Yougart. I also drink Aloe Vera Juice, that I get from Walmart. Fruit Of The Earth Aloe Vera Whole Leaf Wild Berry Flavor Juice, 32 fl oz and only 5.00 per bottle. I only drink it when I feel a stomach ache coming on. I use slippery elm also when I feel stomach pain. Other than that I had to just test foods and compile a list that I keep on my frig of food I can and cannot eat. Most important things I have changed: Chew everything very well!! Avoid all seeds in fruits and veges. Avoid all nuts.No popcorn. No sausage but I can eat all other meats. NO wheat, NO grains. I cannot handle too much fiber either. Best of luck to you!
Very informative information posted here by all the people but I was wondering lately that why we only have this diseases in only 8 countries with maximum 90 % of patients.
And I was doing a research for my medical papers when I found that 200 other countries do not have this diseases and then after having searched over the intertnet about this I was very much convinved what Mike Hohlweg is telling about this: that it is our food that we eat each day, he has done extensive research and advised a very comprehensive diet for this painful diseases. He has a website it is https://diverticulitispainfreefoods.com/home.
Hi,
My name is Jeff and I am 39 at the time of my first attack I weight 375. I now weigh 309. I had my first run in with diverticulitis on 12/04/15. Sudden bad pain in the lower left abdomen. Went to ED. Had a CT scan which showed micro-perforation and a small amount of extra-luminal air. Was sent home with Cipro, Flagyl, and Oxycodone. The first two days home are a complete blur, I only got out of bed long enough to urinate and then take my medicine and pain pills.
I went through all of the oxycodone in 3 days, sometimes taking two pills at once. It was around day 5 that the withdrawal from the pain meds kicked in hard. I did not sleep for five days and had visual and auditory hallucinations. Terrible. Add that in to the fact that the flagyl makes me really nauseas, and I was not a happy camper.
Once I caught up on sleep, I started to feel much better, which lasted for about 2 weeks before I started feeling an ache in my side again. The next week I was running low grade fevers. I went in to the doctor and had another CT. Another microperf was found and the diverticulitis was back.
10 more days of Flagyl and Cipro, but was thankfully able to avoid the pain meds. After 10 days, I was still having some pain, so I went back to the ED, finally decided on another CT scan, although I am getting worried about the all the radiation I am soaking up. CT showed the diverticulitis is gone, but still showed a lot of inflammation. ED doc decided to give me 14 more day on augmenten, just to be sure the infection cleared all the way. I am about half done with the augmenten, but the inflammation still feels terrible. Constant dull ache. It gets much worse if I walk around very much. I’ve been primariy eating low residue during this whole thing, lots of eggs, bacon, peaches, fish, mashed potatoes, I’ve been taking a probiotic and am planning to start taking aloe vera. I’m not really sure where to go from here, I’m worried about the possibility of a more serious attack, but I’m not sure what I can really do to prevent it. What worries me even more is that I have Ehlers Danlos type 3 and there isn’t really much information out there regarding the safety of bowel surgery in EDS type 3 patients. I do know that EDS causes fragile sub-mucosa, which may be the reason why this diverticulitis is being so aggresive.
I’m scared for my life, because I have two young kids and I don’t want to leave them dadless.
Have you tried going back to apple juice and bone broth? It might give your bowel a better break from food.
I also have EDS and digestive issues as well. It’s terrifying and so few doctors have any idea what to do with us. 3 years ago I quit my high stress job as a judge and got certified in holistic nutrition. My doctors had given up so I healed myself. Most of the suggestions given here are excellent. But everyone is different. And because it takes us so long to heal we have to consider our own special issues. I strongly suggest healing your gut with bone broths, DGL and aloe. Add in high quality probiotics and well cooked non fibrous veggies and pastured eggs and meat. I also strongly urge you to do the testing that’s mentioned in the above article. Chances are you have systemic inflammation, low grade bacterial infection, SIBO and or a parasitic infection. You may also have low stomach acid and reduced ability to absorb critical nutrients due to leaky gut syndrome. Read Chris’ articles on these topics. Our elevated pain levels and stress from the EDS predisposes us to chronic inflammation. The good news is that the dietary changes of going paleo and cutting out sugar is not as hard as you think. The diet also supports our screwy joints and skin. What has helped me the most has been addding powdered collagen to everything I drink. Get the green can from Great Lakes online at thrive market for the cheapest prices. Or amazon or a health food store. It’s inexpensive, easy to incorporate into your diet and is a wonderful source of high quality protein. You should also get your vitamin D level checked. And take a high quality omega3 rich fish oil supplement. Let me know if I can help in any way. We zebras need to stick together.
Can I just get a list of what to and what not to eat? 🙂
Please visit this https://diverticulitispainfreefoods.com/home
I dont go by anyones list. You need to make your own. Some people can eat things that are on these lists out there. Personally I cannot eat high fiber items but the “lists” tell you to. I cannot eat any fruits with seeds,veges with seeds (jalepenos are ok in small doses, but without the seeds) nuts of any kind, NO whole grains, Only white rices, NO raw veges, NO beans, NO popcorn or Corn of any kind. NO dried fruits i.e. raisins etc. NO deep fried foods, and most all takeout foods effect me. I am keeping a list on my frig of can and cannot eat and I think each person is individual. Best wishes!
Theresa,
These items are exactly what my GI told me not to eat.
Do you have the “itis” and have you had a colonoscopy or colon removal?
fyi on the best things I have discovered for diverticulitis – Probiotics. I open the capsule and sprinkle on my yogurt daily. I do not believe in ingesting the capsules unless you are able to put one in a glass of water and it dissolves within 30 min. Greek Yogurt – but only Fage or Cobonni (others have too much or fake sugar in them) Aloe Vera juice (about 2 shot glasses daily) I get mine at Walmart for about 5.00 a quart. That being said I also totally avoid all fake sugars.
My GI also told me that I do not need to take a laxitive everyday. He says i do not have to take a poop everyday. But he did recommend metamucil or benifiber. I don’t like having to take a glass of that with every meal.
I have been having problems with my stomach since 2001. After I was told I no longer can keep my gall bladder, because it was pack with stones, it was taken out and I had to learn to adjust my eating habits to it. Recently, in the past three years my stomach has been bloating and inflating everytime I ate anything. After consulting my PCP and many diagnosis, of glutten intolerance, dairy allergy, and my imagination I had a rather sever attach with a combination kidney stone. I have been on a antibiotic and I have been doing a different combination of OTC probiotic to try and have a normal rhythm. But with the other medications I am on it is very hard.
I have cut all leven bread out of my diet, all carbonated drinks, coffee(love it), a lot of solid citrus fruit not juice(can’t digest), most anything fried(the oil), and corn (big no, no).
I stick to meat,cheese,milk base,and salads of late for the roughage. Tortillas are my main base to build a snack or lunch. I have no problems with any kinds of rice. But, some days, it doesn’t matter what I eat. My stomach will hurt and inflate.
I am due for a colonoscapthy soon and I am afraid because I have lost my father, uncle, and two aunts to Colon Cancer from 2001-2003
Rejar,
Don’t be afraid….It’s probably nothing at all. But you do need to try and determine which particular food or additive it is that is causing the problem. You can live a normal life without your gall bladder because the liver also produces bile. You should get an upper and lower GI every 5 years because of your family history. These screenings can identify abnormal growths early so that there’s no problem. If there is no physical problem or intestinal issue then it’s just a matter of determining what causes the problem (bloating). It took me quite a while and lots of experimentation to find the cause of my problems. You need to narrow the variables!! You wrote about what you don’t eat but you didn’t write about everything you did eat. You said that you eat meat, cheese, milk base, and salads and tortillas. I know that you must be eating something besides those items?? Either way, what I did was to decrease the types of food I ate to decrease the variables. Even foods that you thought were safe may not be because of the additives.
I wish you luck and I realize that you are trying to help yourself. The fact that you’re posting here at this website tells me that you want to solve your problem. But unfortunately… everyone is different. My private physician couldn’t tell me what I had to do to stop the pain in my lower abdomen, I had to figure it out for myself…
Treblig
Treblig
Thanks for all of your help on this thread.
I am in the midst of cleaning up my diet so that I don’t go through another episode.
My question is, if I have Stevia in my tea will that create the same problem as sugar? Can I even have stevia with divert disease!
And do you know if sugar substitutes like Splenda sweetener low aggravate the condition
My probiotics are coming UPS from Andrew Lessmans vitamins. I’ve heard good things. Hopefully it works. I’m eating yogart and pickled beets (I read fermented is good) lol among other things and chewing well. I love chicken broth so that’s good. Also using Sour Dough bread. I’ve always been high fiber and love nuts and whopper jr.’s. Hard to change at 69. It’s been 2 months. I had the antibiotic and liquid then smooth diet. I’m scheduled for a colonoscopy after Thanksgiving. Pretty much feel better now.
After years of pain, colonoscopy every 4 years and no answers. I had a really awful flare up this summer that lasted weeks. I always made my own sourdough bread, bought no processed food etc, nothing changed. I could bear it no longer!
In September I decided to go wheat free and primarily gluten free, I am dairy free except for occasional organic sheep/goats milk cheese or Yoghurt from Wholefood Shop. I eat loads of spicy food, high fibre foods, no red meat.
Now pain and symptom free for almost 3 months. Hooray!
I am immue suppressed (auto immune condition) I had my first attack of diverticulitis in 2008. Over the years the attacks have become more and more frequent, This past year I have been getting attacks (which required antibiotic treatment) around every 6 to 8 weeks and never being free of abdominal discomfort/pain.
I was admitted to hospital for IV antibiotics 4 times this year. The surgeon is hesitant to operate as he feels that I would not survive an operation,,,,….not that I want an operation!!!!
I have been spending hours on the internet to see how I can help myself and came across this site. I started the SCD diet in early September and this has helped me a great deal. I cannot tolerate most fruit and vegetables even the ones on the SCD diet. I can though tolerate avocado, lettuce. banana and marrow.
I admit I have cheated a few times and I have been “rewarded” the next day. with pain in LLQ, At the first sensation of pain/ discomfort I take GSE. Amazing stuff. When I stick to the diet which is 99% of the time I am not experiencing any pain or discomfort. Hope this helps somebody.
I sympathize with you SO much. My situation was similar to yours…repeated infections that would go away for a while and come back 2 – 3 weeks after I quit the antibiotics. So demoralizing and exhausting. A year ago I spent 8 weeks total on liquid diets and 12 weeks on Flagyl & Cipro.
Here are the things that work for me to keep infections at bay:
– every morning I do 20 – 30 minutes of meditative belly breathing before I even get out of bed – deep belly breaths to get my abdomen moving; then I do 5 mins of gentle abdominal massage with a wee bit of coconut oil (google this to see videos by practitioners who know what they are doing). I move all along my colon and can actually feel where gas and stool are trapped. I work with a physio who specializes in abdominal massage and she says my colon feels stagnant most of the time – nothing is moving on its own.
– I cut out cow dairy, wheat/gluten, fish and ALL grains, including all rices except batsmati. I eat a low to medium fibre diet – otherwise I get sick. I eat mostly cooked fruits & veggies. During an attack I do juicing, home made soups and smooties but I’m sure you’re beyond sick of a liquid diet!
– I take these supplements recommended by my naturopath: L-glutamine, slippery elm powder (this more than anything has made a huge difference), high quality aloe vera juice of the INNER leaf only, quercetin, chlorella, spirulina, vegan Omega 3 oil, and a quality multivitamin. I also buy high quality probiotics and rotate them since different strains are important.
– A tea made of these herbs is hugely helpful for me when it feels like an attack is coming on. Steep together for about 5 – 7 minutes and do 2 – 3 times a day: peppermint, chamomille, fennel, marshmallow. It’s very soothing. I often take a cup of slippery elm powder before this too.
Good luck! You can heal. Stress management is essential and exercize (especially daily 30 minute walks) make a big difference. And listen to your body – rest when you can and need to. Healing is a lot of work!
Em and Rose I respect you both for your diligence in taking care of your earth. I have written a long while back, I am 64 had my 1st attack in 2008 put me in hospital. I worked in the medical field SO I never did anything natural all the Dr’s ate donuts and all kinds of food themselves. I was brainwashed into believing drugs were the answer. I got very sick April 2014, had one constant attack on round after round of cipro and flagyl. Lost 20 lbs. I live alone had no one to help make wise decisions, had fevers nightly and had lost my job in 2013. Anyway I drove myself to the ER end of April, they should have kept Me but sent me home after a few bags of antiobiotics. The 1st wk of June in hospital for a week,I was so sick, remained sick all summer the pain traveled from left to right side of abdomen, I hurt laid in my chair all day.
Had a colonoscopy end of Sept. dr couldn’t complete b/c I as so inflamed, said I need to see a Surgeon.
Well I had a owes resection Oct 2014. I was in such pain I didn’t know what else to do, I healed but I didn’t realize you develope scar tissue, I am just starting to realize I can’t eat dairy, or sugars, or wheat, my insides feel like someone is putting air in my gut. Since then I have been admitted twice for very serious small bowel obstructions once this past June, I ate broccoli which was not well cooked I know the stems blocked me up I was feeling like I was a goner an hour after I ate, waited till the morning to go to ER way to long, then three weeks ago ate cooked but plain Brussels sprouts, about 6 pm, it was Gods mercy I am writing, again I waited to long to go to ER was in denial hoping it would pass. Thank God it did quickly I was home in 3 days.
Do whatever you have to not to have surgery. I am learning from you. I am lazy, and a lot of the natural health foods are expensive on affixed Income but I have to make a better effort. Thanks Rose, healing is hard work a stakes time. God bless
Tell me please why Basmati and not other rices?
I consistently hear conflicting ideas on rice types and
want to get to the bottom of it.
I’m not sure of the science behind it. It’s something I’ve learned through trial and error. Maybe the startch content? The worst for me are brown and risotto rices. I haven’t tried wild rice – kind of afraid to – only because anything that’s rough in any way makes me feel like I’m being ripped apart. And I agree, there is a lot of conflicting advice out there! I ended up just having to try myself to see what worked. Also, some will say that combining startchy foods and protein is bad too. Doesn’t pose so much of a problem for me as it seems to for others.
Excellently explained good advice
Can you tell me what website you went to. I’m a immune suppressed patient also. Had surgery in October 2016 for diverticulitis. I started today hurting again.
That’s great news about the herbs healing your kidneys. Diet wise, do you have a good variety of veggies? Do you eat a huge amount of meat?
Just joined in and am pleased with all this useful information. I am a chronic diver sufferer and will definitely try some of these suggestions.
Around a month ago I ended up in the ER with acute left lower abdominal pain, fever, blood in stool, nausea and vomiting. Had a CT that showed Diverticulitis and small perforation. They put me on IV antibiotics, fluids and 4 days later I was at home. My doctor just said to eat cautiously but I did not have to avoid any particular foods unless I found they irritated me. Things seemed to be improving till about 2 weeks ago when I had pain again (not nearly as bad), some blood like the first time (small) but no fever or emesis. I went on clear liquids for 3 days and it cleared up again. One week later (4 days ago) it came back yet again, same symptoms.
I have been on pretty much water, occasional gatorade for the electrolytes and some chicken broth for 4 days. The symptoms have subsided all except this nagging pain that comes and goes no fever or blood. Its so so frustrating. I had just started a new job and my benefits have not kicked in so not wanting to go to the ER unless I spike a fever ect… My hope is that the pain is just the irritated area being well irritated. My plan for now is to remain on clears for another day or so and stick to soups with broth, maybe some non gluten noodles in it and chicken or beef for another week. Does this sound like a reasonable approach. If that goes well will introduce more food and avoid the foods that have been mentioned such as high sugars, processed foods, avoid gluten to my best, etc……
I have seen a lot of stuff about long term management and I am going to employ it even though its a lifestyle change because this disease is my body saying I have to do that. Just wondering how others approach that transition from acute flare up to healing until your ready to start eating normally for those of us with this. Ty for any help you all provide.
How do I get off this website’s mailing list. I tried by using the “Manage Your Subscriptions” list at the bottom of every email I receive. The problem is I accidentally signed up twice with two different email addresses and I get notifications at both email addresses. I want to delete one. But than damn “Manage Your Subscriptions” page seems not to work.
So I realize that any inflammatory food sets me up for an attack.
(too many carbs, sugar especially) consequently I NEVER eat the offending foods. In the meantime I have had a few attacks mostly because of a large meal -not enough sleep- and stress at work in the e.r. -these in combination slay me.
Now I found out I have sibo,leaky gut,candida, and high intolerance to gluten and dairy.
so I dropped the gluten and dairy cold turkey supposing that I should have a huge drop in inflammation. In my quest for carb alternatives I found quinoa. I bought red quinoa and did a good 24 soak on it. cooked well and only let myself have 1/2 cp. per meal-I had it 3 times and as my divers usually takes 3 days to manifest after an indiscretion , the symptoms came like clockwork. the red quinoa did not digest at all. Im using my
herbal protocols avoiding abx. but live and learn.
Insoluble fiber is very inflammatory for me. this was a huge fail.
I have the very same problem. Anything with roughage – even mild – is so hard ony gut. I can handle jasmine rice but that’s it. I’ve also started eating much smaller meals overall & eat more frequently. I take high quality aloe juice (pulp only) & l-glutamine which also help. How to you stay off antibiotics? I’m on my 3rd antibiotic round in 2 months.
Oh Em!I hate antibiotics! they make the gut worse.
but they are needed sometimes.
If my diver gets to the point of fever over 100
I cave.
If I can keep it from getting to that point I am thrilled.
for botanicals I Hit it hard with grapefruit seed extract and oregano oil liquid. I get off the gse as soon as I feel out of
the woods as I don’t think it’s good for you to stay on it but very short term..
I use these 2 in conjunction with lauricidin and olive leaf.
clear liquids mostly broth until I am out of pain.
blenderized homemade soups and whey protein bland smoothies after the pain is gone for a few days and then ease into my normal eating.
I typically get very constipated and my migrating motor complex gets paralysis -so i add magnesium and vitamin c to
keep things moving. and btw I pray a lot.
I hope this is helpful
Lgordon, Very interesting, but why are you trying to find a carb alternative?? Could you write a list of the foods/drinks that you normally ingest?
Treblig
I eat a low carb diet because its advised to have a little
at each meal if there is adrenal insufficiency. (protein,carb,fat).
I use potato cooked and cooled reheated or basmati rice.
1/2 cup per meal only.
wild fish,organic fowl, beef -occasionally pork.
bacon.
half piece of fruit a day-NO SEEDS
1CP coffee per day.
whey protein powder
cooked vegetables-
ghee
olive oil
lemon
fresh ginger
avacado
almond milk and water in smoothie
1 -2glass red wine per week
occasional coconut water.
(intolerant to eggs-dairy-gluten)
I make soup weekly and consume that for
many of my meals.
so to answer your question-I would like to add some
variety to my no gluten lifestyle by adding perhaps
quinoa-apparently the red variety is problematic for me.
How do you make your soup? I’m recovering also but from hospital bout with diverticulitis. I’m looking forward to eventially being able to prepare my own soup because in a few days, I can have a more full liquid diet and I love soups. How can I make my own healthy soup?
I don’t use a particular recipe but I always start with organic beef or chicken remove the meat and set aside as I simmer the bones for 24 hrs to make a healthy broth.(adding a T or 2 of
lemon juice or vinegar). I think a good place to go online for soup recipes would be thenourishedkitcchen.com.
I always make soup with the broths but set aside a few jars in the freezer for times when I want broth only.
Im sorry to hear about your hospital visit. I have had numerous attacks but have always avoided admission and I don’t go to the dr unless I get a fever over 100. I stay home and do a regimen of oregano oil 3x a day and grapefruit seed extract
morning and night. Lots of fluids and rest and have been able to avoid antibiotics. When I am out of pain I go to soft foods and soups whirred up in the blender. God bless you in your healing process!
hello everyone I’m new to the chat. I’m 35 and have had 3 diverticulitis attacks. I’ve been reading and the majority of you drink oregano oil. How many drops and is it added to water? If so how many oz? Also I’ve seen slippery elm is also taken. How many drops and if it’s added to water how many oz? I’m thinking of starting a gluten-free diet. I’m frustrated with this already. Was in the er yesterday. Given flagyl and cipro to take every 12 hours for 14 days and on top of that every time I’m done with flagyl I break out into hives for about a month. Any suggestions out there? Please help.
That Flagyl is awful
Definitely gluten is our enemy.
I use grapefruit extract 15 drops when I have an attack.
I also am juicing everyday.
Watch. the movie called: fat sick and nearly dead.
I add olive oil , aloe Vera, and 5 drops of the grapefruit extract to my juices.
I find tea made with ginger and turmeric root (raw natural) are very soothing. Add some lemon and honey for sweetness… I also add grapefruit extract to that tea.
I’ve never heard of oregano oil, but I do add parsley to my juices…
I juice beets, ginger, turmeric, parsley,celery,carrots, kale, radishes, and I throw in a pear or apple for sweetness…
Grapefruit extract works well, it is very bitter so expect that, it will remove the toxins from your body, you will feel it working … only use 15 when you have an attack. It is very strong.
Thanks so much John for your feedback. Do you recommend adding 5 drops of the extract daily with a juice? And yes I agree flagyl is horrible. Once I’m done with it I break out into intermittent hives for a month sometimes two months. By the way which aloe Vera do you drink? I’ve heard good reviews on George’s always active aloe Vera liquid.
Yes
I add the drops to the juice. Along with olive oil.
I buy the aloe that’s on sale .
Hi John . . . do you take the GSE daily? Thanks!
Sorry John! I should have read your previous post a bit more closely where you said you use it daily 🙂
Charise, I doubt you will see this, but I had to comment–if not for you, maybe for someone else. It was a few months ago that you were given Cipro. I hope you are okay. Please, please, anyone who reads this, google “cipro dangers” and be sure you know all the risks of permanent, debilitating damage. The same goes for other brands of fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Don’t take ANYTHING without reading the insert and researching online. What I’ve read online is truly scary, but I do know a friend who was left with permanent tinnitis after taking Cipro. That’s a mild effect compared with others. There are forums and Facebook groups full of damaged patients. Doctors either don’t read or are not aware enough to enable patients to be fully informed. Be your own advocate!
By the way- I do not advise you or anyone to avoid the doctor.
Your physiology may be very different from mine and it can be dangerous for people with acute diverticulitis to avoid treatment.
Quinoa and ALL grains, including most rices (except batsmati) create massive inflammation in my intestines. Really horrible. The worst of all is amaranth!
That was a quick response!!
I only use basmati at home but do use
sushi rice dining out (cooked rolls only per my Dr.s instruction)
Red quinoa threw me into a huge diver incident recently.
I too have to slowly increase any fiber after an attack.
I believe that my attacks are brought on by stress and
insoluble fiber, an unusually large meal or sugar which increase the low level of inflammation I already have in my gut.
THANKS for your recommendations.
Ps: I also believe I have a toxic burden from mold.
that definitely can contribute.
I have usually been able to avoid antibiotics because I am
acutely aware of the very beginnings of a building attack which usually hits hard at 3 days post indiscretion or stress by using oregano oil, grapefruit seed extract (only for a few days on this one) olive leaf extract and liquids (clear for the first few days) until symptoms completely subside.
I’ve been reading everything on the internet for the past few days. I’m not sure if I’ve helped myself or scared myself silly.
In 2004 I had a ruptured bowel from diver. I had a colostomy bag for 9 months with an eventual resection. I have been symptom and pain free for 11 years now.
Until last week. I was under a HUGE amount of silly stress, became constipated (which my former doctor assured me would never happen again) and consequently I have what I think is a diverticulitis flare up only this time it’s on my right side near my ascending colon.
I don’t mind saying at all that I’m terrified. My colostomy was the worst as the stoma died about 10 days after the surgery. For the 9 months I had it, I evacuated over raw flesh (about 2 inches worth). The pain was unbearable and I was constantly sick. I cannot…cannot cannot go through that again.
For the last three days I’ve been eating very low fiber foods, but just enough to keep me from throwing up in hunger. Today I’m juicing and will continue to juice. The pain isn’t horrible, it’s nagging. Like I can feel an inflamed area when I pass gas or when I twist a certain way.
What really pisses me off is that I’ve been eating healthy. All veggies and fruits, low carb, no sugar. I exercise and my labs are fantastic.
I’m thinking of calling the doctor on Monday for some antibiotics. I know that my fear is getting the better of me and most likely keeping this attack present. Anyone have any words of encouragement?
Amy, Of course you should contact your Doctor!! And of course you have everyone’s encouragement. I have written here before that having a colostomy and resection does not in any way shape of form cure the underlying problem. You intestines are reacting to something that you’re eating. For example, you say no sugar, but fruits contain sugar. Many juices contain sugar. Now I’m not saying that the fruits are the problem…but I am saying that you need to figure out what it is that’s aggravating your condition. It’s good that you exercise!! After I got all my symptoms to go away I kept having pain and as it turns out I had 3 small hernias. What I did was to only eat one thing for many days until I weeded out all the things that made me feel worse. I haven’t eaten a fruit for over a year and my last blood work was excellent. The only veggies I eat is lettuce and avocado.
Treblig
Thank you Treblig ( I hope I remembered to spell that right. 🙂 ).
Calling my doctor now. I just wasn’t/aren’t all fired up for a battery of tests.
You got it right, it’s nothing more than “Gilbert” backwards. When they scanned me (when they found the hernias) they made me drink 3/4 gallon of liquid to allow the scan machine to get a good picture of my intestinal tract. I noticed that the liquid aggravated my Diver. I had no Diver symptoms only pain/discomfort in my stomach muscles. But the liquid definitely gave me Diver symptoms. After the test I asked them what was in the liquid, they said that it contained radioactive components and Crystal Light for flavoring. So I now know that Crystal Light (even though it contains no sugar) aggravates my condition. My theory is that even though Crystal Light contains no sugar my body “thinks” it’s sugar and reacts as if I’m eating sugar!! No sugar substitutes for me!!!!!!!!!! No fruits, very few carbs and most importantly….NO SYMPTOMS!!
Once you can get symptom free (like I am) it’s pretty easy to identify the food/drink items that aggravate your condition. But remember….it you don’t eat fruits/veggies/carbs/sugar/fibrous foods then be sure to use Citrucel (or something like it) and take plenty of vitamins/minerals in pill form so your body stays healthy!!
Treblig
Hey Treblig, still doing ok I see, me too, no/little pain or symptoms, have been only eating no/low carbs and six months going strong now.
I found a natural sweetener called stevia that I like, at my local foodstore chain, it suppose to be a natural sweetener that has been used for years in some countries, good luck in your quest for better health.
One more thing!!! I told my Doctor about my low carb/no sugar diet and he told me that I should eat more carbs. I told him that if I eat more carbs my Diver symptoms will return and I could end up with an infection. He said “Well then I guess you shouldn’t eat too many carbs”. Duhhhhhh!!
PS – The Doctor’s don’t know JACK!!!!
Treblig
Well I was lucky enough to get to see the doctor this afternoon. She poked around and said that if I had a bowel rupture I would have come off the table. Of course, I knew I didn’t, but it’s just the thought that I could that scares the hell out of me.
She gave me a script for antibiotics and said we’d talk in a week about a CT scan. For me it would be best to find out what shape my colon is in after the surgery 11 years ago.
She did say that I could go home and eat whatever I wanted as long as it didn’t have nuts or seeds. I feel this is a bit of outdated advice and I’ll be following your suggestions to take things slow in the next few days.
Thank you for being here and for giving me some encouragement. I’m well aware I have some PTSD when it comes to my colon so it’s nice to have at least someone out there that understands the fear.
Thanks again,
Amy
I would also be scared as hell !!! It’s bad enough that you’ve already lost part of your bowel, no need to lose more. As for the nuts and seeds thing, it has no merit. I have perfectly formed pockets in my intestine and I can eat all the nuts I want but the caveat is that you must not have any inflammation in the pockets. I’ve found that if you have no inflammation the nuts and seeds don’t seem to have any affect. Think of it this way….if the pockets are inflamed and you get a seed stuck in the pocket it can get pretty painful and infected. But if there’s no inflammation the seed will just sit there until it eventually passes and you’ll never know any difference. But in the end you should do what your Doctor tells you.
If the Diver has spread to your ascending colon (and it will) then I would not eat “anything” like the Doctor says. The reason I stay on my low carb/no sugar diet is so that my Diver doesn’t spread. The last colonoscopy I had ( 2 months ago) showed the nicely formed pockets in the color pics my Doctor snapped while he was in there with his camera. The pockets are there but I would never know it because I don’t eat anything that could possibly aggravate (inflame) them. I could easily put myself in tremendous pain and suffering by eating the wrong things but, of course, I’m not about to do that.
If they find pockets in the rest of your bowels you better look for alternative things to eat. There’s no cure but there are ways to avoid the pain and suffering AND the infections!!
I’ve written this before and I’ll write it again……having the damaged portion of your bowel removed DOES NOT keep the rest of your bowels from reacting to whatever damaged the part they removed. In other words, if you keep eating/drinking things that aggravate your intestines (after surgery) you will continue to have problems.
Wishing you the best of LUCK!!
treblig
Well, it’s day 7 of the anti’s. Yesterday the pain was pretty much gone. Just a slight dull ache. So of course..I ate. :/
I had some tuna with mayo, bread and later some veggie soup.
Today, the dull ache is back and little more. I guess I should have been a bit more careful in my eating?? Was it too soon you think?
Well maybe…then again maybe not?? It may not have been that you ate too soon, it may be “what” you ate. If you had eaten absolutely nothing for 7 days (except antibiotics) then one of the items you ate could be “one” of the culprits. I eat tuna and mayo all the time but the bread and veggie soup would have not agreed with my diver. But that’s “me” and my body. Now if you had only eaten the tuna and mayo (and had no symptoms) then you’d know that tuna and mayo are OK to eat. I know it’s difficult, but once you’ve rid yourself of the pain and discomfort you have to only eat one food item for few days to find out if it agrees with you or not. Also drink water ONLY otherwise you’re introducing another item that could complicate the test. For example, if you have a meal that includes steak, baked potato (loaded), green beans and a chocolate volcano brownie then the next day you’re in pain…there’s no way to tell which of all the food items (or their additives) caused the flare up. However, if you had only eaten a baked potato with butter only for three days running and got no symptoms then it would be safe to say that baked potatoes and/or butter don’t bother your diver. I can’t eat baked potatoes!! But it’s just an example.
I’ve written before about your “safe diet”. The diet that a person can go to knowing that it will “absolutely not” aggravate your diver. Once you find your “safe diet” you can usually make the symptoms go away by getting on and staying on that diet. If you mess up like I have a few times (cake and ice cream) you’ll feel some pain BUT if you immediately get (and stay) on your safe diet your gut will heal quickly and your symptoms should disappear.
There’s no way I can tell you what will or will not aggravate your condition, but I can tell you with certainty that if you continue to eat foods/drinks that aggravate your condition you will eventually get another infection!!
treblig
Doctors be killing us
http://www.diverticulitispainfreefoods.com
I have been following this general advice for six months and it works
I’m so sorry to hear this! I had to write and just say prayers and God Bless you! I am 44 and just had my first attack I’m
Scared as well and worried about my future . My job is very demanding and stressful. I’m hoping I never have another attack the pain in unbearable. Of course family and friends think your nuts. I’ll keep you in my prayers and keep reading. I was lazy after I got out of my office chair and ate out a lot! I have lost weight and went total healthy! Hoping this works
Hi, just trying to read all of the very helpful posts. Just returned from the doctor. She prescribed antibiotics and told me to eat a bland diet of noodle soup, crackers, bananas and toast, and when I am healed to start taking Metamucil. That seems like a lot of carbs.
your colon is inflamed, so you need to take baby steps to get it feeling better. yes… carbs… but just don’t eat a lot of volume. broth is good this is not an overnight sensation or fix, you will be ion pain for weeks or months…. i personally refused to take the flagyl … it made me feel awful !
Acute diverticulitis. Been on antibiotics for 21 days and ct scan still shows inflammation on left low side causing discomfort walking. Can anyone tell me how long inflammation takes to go.
I haven’t eaten more than 30 carbs per day (many times less than that) for the last year and I perfectly healthy. In fact I just had a full blood work up by my kidney specialist (including a Lipid panel) and after he read the results he said that I am in very good health and that I should continue doing whatever I am doing. You don’t need carbs to survive and thrive. Carbs=Sugar, Sugar=Carbs
Treblig
I was diagnosed with diverticulitis by CT scan in April when I went to the ER for abdominal pain. I had been studying for an exam for the previous 3 months and sitting for much longer than I normally would. I have a BMI of 24 so not a typical candidate though I am 50 yrs old. I started making and drinking Kefir 4 days later- from grains originally from Poland, given to me by a friend at work. I drink a cup of kefir a day in a fruit shake and also eat about a 1/2 cup of grains every two weeks when I get enough. By July the pain was completely gone. Today (Sept 15) I had my follow up colonoscopy and now it looks like the diverticula are gone too. Kefir has totally healed my gut. The Dr. could only find 3 very small diverticula. Get your hands on some good quality kefir grains and take it everyday for 6 months (ideally the rest of your lives). And I hope you all have the results I’ve had.
Re the kefir, can I use organic quality yogurt instead?
Johnfo and treblig, I found this site after my first attack and diagnosis with diverticulitis. I asked for help in getting the diarrhea stopped. No one responded with help about that. Instead I got judgemental comments and advice from both of you about my eating habits. I didn’t ask for that. I realize I am going to have to make adjustments once I am done with this particular attack, but nothing I said I had eaten was anything that had ever bothered me before. Overeating? I was asked to include things I’d eaten over the last week or 10 days, I believe. Guess I should stop eating all together???? Since the attack I have eaten nothing that would irritate my system and a lot of binding foods, but I still have diarrhea. I’m going to drop off this blog site because I feel insulted by the 2 responses I got. To the person in charge of the site…you proof-read the responses first–why did you allow these 2 people to be so rude and unhelpful? Thanx, but no thanx for the advice/help I got here. I’ll depend on my doctor, I guess. Unbelieveable!
sorry if you feel offended.
if you can’t take the truth from a complete stranger, then who knows who you will listen to.
I was prescribed flagyl and cypress at the same time.
you problems will cease when you stop hurting yourself .
i threw the flagyl in the trash, and god only knows why i kept taking the cypro. i guess i felt like feeling bad another week.
you need to put the fire out! just eat gelatin , water, then when you can maybe some rice.
you think its a joke? i am not joking about the olive oil, and aloe vera.
so listen to your pill pushing doctor….
it’s YOU thats going to make yourself better…..
i already judged myself, and knew i was the cause of my demise. all the comfort eating with my 4 year old…. rocky road, hamburgers fries steaks raw carrots….
you diarrhea might go away…. but the good thing is you are moving the TOXINS out of your body !
this thing we have will NEVER go away
so get used to immediate changes or go back and have your bowells removed and start pooping in a bag. the choice is yours.
tough love darling ! I don’t sugar coat anything, and this site has helped me get the confidence to question normal doctors pill pushing methods
go ahead and censor me…. i don’t care.
you are lucky to have someone tell you straight up what to do, and not do.
keep drinking water! work up to rice…. i had peanut butter and saltines about after 4 or 5 days…. if you are lucky you can start back with semi-real food in 2 weeks…. and you’ll be in pain for weeks after that ….. maybe after months, you feel great…. but don’t EVER think you are better! get a breville and change your life. I drink fresh Juice every day !! soluble soluble soluble fiber!!! and i eat avocados everyday ! easy to digest!!!
go cry to your doctor, I fired mine and gave him back his poison Flagyl!
Thanks John for giving the “straight up”. I am in a attack right now. It’s my first day. But I’m more hopeful because of reading your comment. Thank you thank you! May we both stay on the course of living our lives to the fullest!
I’m so sorry you are going through that. Get some olive oil and aloe Vera juice ….
The aloe helps a lot !
This is God’s way of telling us we are not eating healthy 🙂
Jeanne,
I have not written on this blog for a while. Please relax and calm yourself down all these guys are seriously trying to support you.No one is judging you. last April I had my 3rd serious attack, did not want to take the antiobiotics . I am 64 and in my past life I admit I did not take care of myself. Was always stressed esp. At work, ate fast and not always healthy. Well 3 weeks. After I woke up in serious pain not only on the lower left side it radiated back and forth left to right. finally 3.5 weeks later Easter Sunday I had the script filled for the usual flagyl and cipro. I took the full doses and still felt horrible. Went to the Gastro Dr. Sent me for a Cat scan, I was still terribly inflamed, not eating much except soup water maybe toast. I live alone so. It was hard to even get to the store, the Dr put me on another round of antiobiotics, which I HATED! It got SO bad I drove myself to the ER the week later more antiobiotics, this went on and off They finally cleared me the end of May. 3 days later a Sunday am I called my neighbor screaming take me to the ER, I couldn’t bear the pain. I was in hospital 6 days. Spent the rest of the summer sick, took aloe juice, tried everything lost 20 lbs from not eating and had fevers nightly. August another Cat scan more it is….. I didn’t know. What to do or where to turn. I also was laid off my job and was offered a job in May but worked two half days and had to leave b/c I was too sick to work. Sept was now having a colonoscopy, the Dr said he could. Not do it b/c I was so inflamed he could have perforated my colon. Said I needed to see a surgeon.both my kids live far one is out of the country the other another State no relatives close friends but the decision was up to me. I prayed to God to guide me. I had the surgery Oct 15, almost one yr ago. I had complications from thr diver caused a fistula so I had 3 surgeons in thr OR. Anyway I thanks to God had a great Surgeon, one I trusted and I healed well and am doing well. he removed a foot of very diseased colon. I tell you all of this to say be patient if you have diarrhea your body the bacteria is cleaning itself out. If you don’t eat you won’t die. Just drink water soup broth till you are clear. Then baby steps like feeding a new born banana, soups, soft steamed veggies soft, an egg, you get the picture. Take the EVOO, eat an avocado, drink green tea no sugar. I do not recommend surgery for anyone u less it is absolutely. Necessary mine was I was just too sick for too long. Just. Stay calm stress doesn’t help and the body needs time to heal. Itself. The antiobiotics are poision but needed if severely infected. The pouches will never go away, esp. When you get my age, like my arms starting to sag like my old Aunts I used to kid about I am looking like them. Not everyone can be a super model, I told my story not to scare you but to say these guys I have read their blogs for some time now and I know all they want to do is help. And encourage you to recover, God bless and I pray you will heal soon. Xo
I have reread what I had previously written and couldn’t find any JUDGMENTAL STATEMENTS!! I had previously written this,
“”Jeanne, If I ate all the things you listed I would also be in the hospital. I don’t know how many posted comments you’ve read?? I’ve had bleeding and diarrhea before but it was well over a year ago. If you keep drinking plenty of water you’re diarrhea should eventually stop. Any food that you might eat could keep the diarrhea going. I said to drink plenty of water…NOT COKE OR JUICE!!. You also need electrolytes but your Dr should tell you what to take in that area. Anything you ate the day before shouldn’t aggravate your diverticulitis. It’s the things you were eating many days before!! From what I’ve found it takes at least a couple of days before you feel the effects of eating the wrong foods/drinks, thus my question. As for “HIGH FIBER FOODS”…I for one tried that route and it didn’t help my condition at all. But your body MAY be different. I get all my fiber by taking Citrucel tablets, the Citrucel doesn’t contain anything that will aggravate my condition. I can eat salads (with no croutons) but no high fiber foods.
I don’t want to rewrite all my comments again as I have posted here many, many times about my diet. Just remember that everyone’s body reacts differently to certain foods and beverages. For example, I used to drink margaritas and they not only aggravated my condition but they also gave me a hangover. Not that I drink Crown Royal with diet coke I get no hangover and my Diver is just fine with it. So, there’s something in certain foods/drinks that your body can not tolerate.
Take the time to read all my posts (TREBLIG) and if you have any questions I’ll do my best to answer.””
There is NO WAY I could give you any advice on how to stop your diarrhea unless I knew what you had been eating. I know that if I ate jalepeno peppers I would get pain and diarrhea SO I stopped eating them. It takes time to figure out what exactly is causing your problem. I wasn’t judging, I was trying to evaluate your situation. If you go to the Doctor and tell him that every time you eat “X” you get sick. The Doctor will tell you, “Don’t eat “X”!! From what you described in your list of foods it was very hard to determine which food item or items was causing your problems. You shouldn’t get upset because other people are trying to help you, even if they are blunt. We have all been hurt by Diver, some worse than others, but we still listen to each other. Yes, sometimes we disagree but the more we write the more others learn from our experiences. There is tremendous DETAIL in these posts on what to eat and what not to eat, that’s why I had asked if you had read all the posts here. If you can find a web site that is more helpful than this one please let us all know. As for myself, I try to respond as soon as I see someone here ask a question. I am not a Doctor but I know MUCH MORE than my Doctor does about my Diver and how to prevent attacks!!
Treblig
Treblig
I used to be able to eat anything I wanted and as much as I wanted and would never gain an ounce!! I could eat ice cream all day long and be just fine. I could eat handfuls of “HOT” raw chiles and I felt great!! I could eat candy all day long with no adverse affects. When I turned 58 things changed, the fun was over. It took me a few years to figure out what was causing the pain and bleeding and even then I figured it all out by mistake!! You can’t run from your problem and Doctors don’t seem to know anything about how to prevent Diver attacks. Even my gastroenterologist couldn’t help me in the least, he said, “eat plenty of fiber!!”. That didn’t help at all even when I was eating tons (literally) of fiber. I searched the internet for many months looking for a place to talk to others and of the many sites I visited this site had the most/best people and information.
If you don’t think that we have all been upset about our situation then your not thinking clearly. We’ve all experienced the pain, bleeding and diarrhea. I also had diarrhea for many,.many days on end and the Doctors couldn’t help me in the least. I had to figure out what it was that my body didn’t like/want. No one (out there) could tell me what MY BODY didn’t like. I had to figure it out myself. I have posted here many times and specifically stated my exact diet. Each meal, morning, noon and night. I guess you haven’t bothered to read all the many, many times I’ve posted here telling other folks how I solved my Diver problem.
Treblig
Another forum you may like to join is
Divi Diners on Patient U.K with lots of fellow sufferers
joining in with “good ” food “bad” food, experiences ,
alternative Health supplements that help. As we all know
we have Divi for life, so the more help and advice we get
from each other,helps us cope with it
you are absolutely right in what you are saying . I have been having flareups for more years than i can remember. Dr’s. specialists, antibiotics pain and misery. So Tired So Tired. Should have taken my diet more seriously a long time ago. This attack of pain in left mid abdomen, back pain, chills and discomfort on sitting. This flareup has given me a scare as it has been eight days now but i cannot go through antibiotics again.
I have made a pot of bone broth as they say it helps. I also have made myself a pot of ginger tea. can’t hurt right?
This is the first time i have made comments please bear with me it seems i am not alone.
i would love to have your diet plan as i have not seen it before. Would so appreciate any help in the right direction.
Thank you Chris
After reading the article and comments, I am now even more confused about what I should or should not put into my system. First got sick with this in the middle of the nite last Weds. HORRIBLE abdominal pains, then add on diarrhea, nausea, and bleeding. Got admitted to the hospital Thurs. nite, and was released Sun., yesterday. Am still on 2 antibiotics and still have diarrhea. WHEN will it end?
Jeanne, What had you been eating/drinking the previous 10 days before your attack?? Please be specific….
Treblig
Treblig, the evening just prior to my attack for supper I had a Jimmy John’s beach club sandwich on wheat bread (seeds very numerous), with lettuce & tomato on it. Also had one of their oatmeal & raisin cookies (more fiber). Before bed I had some ice cream–fast tracks (chocolate & nuts). I told this all to the second ER physician who diagnosed me and told me I needed to start eating a high fiber diet. He told me that nothing I’d eaten that nite prior had anything to do with this attack. I’m hard pressed to remember everything I ate the week before–home-made goulash, PBJ sandwiches (red raspberry preserves–my fav), milk, Diet Coke, water, orange juice. When I said in my comment that I am almost afraid to eat, I meant currently…in order to get rid of the diarrhea. Still dark green–sometimes soft & sometimes liquid. I don’t always know. My hemoglobin and potassium were back up into safe ranges and my white blood count was down before they dismissed me from the hospital. I am still on 2 different anti-biotics. But when and how do I get this diarrhea stopped? They told me my intestines had to clean themselves out…this is now almost the end of day 6.
Jeanne, If I ate all the things you listed I would also be in the hospital. I don’t know how many posted comments you’ve read?? I’ve had bleeding and diarrhea before but it was well over a year ago. If you keep drinking plenty of water you’re diarrhea should eventually stop. Any food that you might eat could keep the diarrhea going. I said to drink plenty of water…NOT COKE OR JUICE!!. You also need electrolytes but your Dr should tell you what to take in that area. Anything you ate the day before shouldn’t aggravate your diverticulitis. It’s the things you were eating many days before!! From what I’ve found it takes at least a couple of days before you feel the effects of eating the wrong foods/drinks, thus my question. As for “HIGH FIBER FOODS”…I for one tried that route and it didn’t help my condition at all. But your body MAY be different. I get all my fiber by taking Citrucel tablets, the Citrucel doesn’t contain anything that will aggravate my condition. I can eat salads (with no croutons) but no high fiber foods.
I don’t want to rewrite all my comments again as I have posted here many, many times about my diet. Just remember that everyone’s body reacts differently to certain foods and beverages. For example, I used to drink margaritas and they not only aggravated my condition but they also gave me a hangover. Not that I drink Crown Royal with diet coke I get no hangover and my Diver is just fine with it. So, there’s something in certain foods/drinks that your body can not tolerate.
Take the time to read all my posts (TREBLIG) and if you have any questions I’ll do my best to answer.
Treblig
For goodness sake 41 things stop using dairy. Who drinks milk today that has a colon problem? That doesn’t make any sense.. So many people are lactose intolerant. She has problems and she’s eating ice cream yuck. She needs to see the implications of Dairy especially of milk on her intestines
All the fiber foods in the world won’t help you at all IF the foods contain ingredients that aggravate your condition. In other words…..The fiber in the foods is good (just like Citrucel) but the other ingredients in the same food may/will aggravate your condition.
treblig
P.s.Jeanne the night before my serious attack I ate a whole lot stuff like you described. no No we cannot eat that way, too much for the body to hard to digest esp if you have divers, we must eat less and more often small amounts and what we find is best for us. Whether we like it or not it is time to make necessary dietary. Changes!
Wow, diet coke ? Orange Juice ? Goulash ? Fast Tracks ?
Are you a christian ? have you ever heard of gluttony ?
well, diver is gods way of telling you that you are eating too much!
and all the other garbage you eat ?
just drink water ! and instead of any pre-made juices get a breville juice machine, and watch the movie fat sick and nearly dead, i don’t know if you are fat, but most persons who drink diet coke are, and remain fat, because it is engineered to chemically retain body fat.
all cokes and pepsis are good for is cleaning greasy floors and nasty toilets .
the guys are on it with the olive oil
i drink it straight EVERY DAY ! Along with aloe vera juice
TONS OF ROMAINE ….. after you are better just eat half a kids portion of your ice cream and sweets stay away from raw veggies , peanuts , seeds , COKES ! and don’t eat bran flakes….. thats what sent me to the ER ! Listen to your body, now you know what the diver symptoms feel like…. go to costco and buy gallons of kirkland organic olive oil !! drink 3 tablespoons a day minimum… and take at least 2 citrucels everyday…..
bottom line, keep your poop flowing !
Avocado oil is better then you get your omegas at the same time. I find citrucel very irritating I drink no crap water with a little juice for flavor, have been try kangen akaline water to see if that will help, eat cooked veggies , fish, soup, chicken baked, rice, no seeds, fried, greasy foods , almost no sugar, non gluten waffles, but had a New pizza last night and got bad attack, eat pizza once a week every friday not sure why it set it off.
Should You Avoid Nuts, Popcorn and Seeds?
It used to be standard advice for people with diverticulosis that they avoid nuts, popcorn, corn, seeds, and seeded fruits and vegetables for fear that these foods would get stuck in the diverticula, causing them to become inflamed. This advice is no longer considered to be valid. In fact, as these foods are a great source of fiber, it should be fine to include them as part of your regular diet.
I have had 2 bouts of this and have been to 2 natural paths and both told me no nuts or seeds and I have already done this on my own, think about if you have pockets that get infected nuts and seeds can get into those pockets !! I won’t take that chance anymore I was in emerg for 9 hrs don’t want that type of pain ever again 🙂
Yes!! I am never doing that again. A guy i know did and went septic when his burst from seeds. No thanks
Wrong!!! I get so angry when i read these people saying nuts, seeds, corn and popcorn are ok. Everyone is not the same and they are death for me!
I not sure what to say on this issue because other folks might react differently to nut/seeds. Personally, I have perfectly formed pockets in my lower intestines. The pockets were fairly large and obvious in the last colonoscopy pics (2 weeks ago) and in the scans I have had in the last 6 months. It was nice to see the color pics taken by my gastroenterologist, The pockets were nice and pick like the rest of my intestine. Pink is the color of healthy intestinal walls. I can eat all the nuts I want with no symptoms at all. My THEORY is that IF YOUR INTESTINES ARE INFLAMED anything can/will give you pain/symptoms. Of course if your diverticuli are inflamed nut/seeds would tend to get lodged into the pockets and cause problems. In my case, since I am symptom free (no inflammation) and remain that way because of my Lo Carb/Lo Sugar diet, nuts have no effect on my condition. I just returned from a week long vacation and most days I ate many hand fulls of almonds and pecans. I haven’t had a hint of pain or any type of problem. During my vacation I ate meat, eggs, sausage, bacon and cheese. Very, very few carbs or sugar, lots of nuts also. The vacation was great and I totally forgot that I had Diverticulitis!!
So……if you can stop the symptoms completely, like I have, then you should be able to eat all the nuts you like. If you have have NO inflammation then there is almost nothing you can’t eat…EXCEPT CARBS AND SUGAR!!
Just my opinion based on REAL LIFE>
Treblig
Hi,
When you’re talking about no sugar, are you also saying to exclude fruits?
Thanks!
Hi, Guido…how are you doing?? Yes, sugar is sugar is sugar is sugar. At least that’s what I have found. HOWEVER….if you can eat fruits without having any flareups then you’re lucky. Doctors and researchers have found that sugar causes inflammation in the body. This inflammation manifests itself in the intestines, lungs and sinuses. At least that’s where it caused problems in my body. Your body may be different. I’ve have sinusitis/allergies since I was 10 years old and the allergies/inflammation in my sinuses magically disappeared when I went on the lo carb/lo sugar diet…it’s really funny that it took me 52 years to figure it out!!!!! I had been seeing an allergist (specialist) for quite a few years, he always made me blow into a machine that measured lung inflammation (I’ve also had asthma since I was young). I had been seeing this specialist for three years and every single time I blew into the machine he would tell me that I had very bad lung inflammation. Three weeks after I started on the lo carb/lo sugar diet I had an appointment with the same allergist and my lung inflammation was almost completely gone. The allergist could not understand how my lung inflammation had magically disappeared. I had to explain to him how I solved my own problem. Before he read me the results of the lung inflammation test I told him that I knew my lung inflammation would be drastically reduced. He asked me why I would predict such a thing. I told him that I had solved my sinus inflammation problem and that lungs contain mucus just like the sinuses so it was only reasonable that my lung inflammation would be reduced. So… I have documented medical proof that carbs and sugar cause inflammation in the parts of the body that produce mucus (lungs, sinuses/intestines). A few months ago when I had to drink 1/2 gallon of liquid designed to show the Diver (lower abdomen scan) it caused me some mild pain. Turns out there was crystal light in the liquid that they made me swallow. Crystal light is a sugar substitute but my body reacted to it like sugar.
So, depending on your body you could have the same allergy to carbs and sugar but I can say with absolute certainty…. CARBS and SUGAR (any kind) cause inflammation in my body.
On a side note…….I have yet to determine one thing??? When a person goes on the low carb, lo sugar diet and you do it properly, your body goes into KETOSIS (you can look it up). Ketosis makes the body produce ketones. Researchers have found that when your body is in ketosis your body produces large amounts of ketones. Ketones are known to reduce inflammation in the human body…that’s why you’re supposed to eat strawberries/Bluberries. These fruits contain KETONES!!! But they also contain sugar!! So if you can get your body into ketosis (not recommended for diabetics) then you’re body will produce massive amount of Ketones. What I haven’t figured out is if the lack of sugar and carbs (being in Ketosis) reduces the inflammation OR if the Ketones reduce the inflammation?? Or is it a combination of both?? Either way, if you’re not in Ketosis your body won’t/can’t produce Ketones. You can’t go into Ketosis IF you eat sugar or carbs. I’ve been in Ketosis for over a year now. I feel great and have no symptoms, it’s like I don’t have Diver at all even though my last colonoscopy (2 weeks ago) shows that I do have pretty extensive diverticulitis. As I have found being in Ketosis only seems to affect parts of the body that produce mucus. I also have some arthritis, but the Ketones my body produces don’t seem to help my joints. I guess (I’m not a doctor) that there’s is no mucus in the joints???
I could keep writing more about my experiences but I don’t want to bore everyone.
Thanks for asking,
Treblig
Hi treblig,
I’m not too bad thanks! I have beed doing quite ok since few months and I’m flare-up-free since like 6 months now.
Haven’t eaten any special diet, just trying to eat quite a lot of vegetables and fiber.
I try to eat wholegrains and not refined cereals, limit my intake of meat, especially red one.
If I feel that I’m getting stomach-wicker, I take pro-biotics pills for some days. The fact that I’m probably one of the youngest in this thread (33) and that I’m not a sugar-person helps to keep things under-control.
So yes, even if I’m eating some fruit or some sweetie thing, it doesn’t harm that much! Having said that, after all your advises and having done some research myself, I know what to cut off when I’m starting to feel bad down there (basically sugar-carbs-meat).
Guido, I had tried the same thing…lots of veggies and whole grain cereal but it didn’t work for me, that was over a year ago. I thought that eating high fiber veggies and high fiber whole grain cereals would produce less stress on my diver. As it turned out many vegetables contain carbs and most cereals contain carbs and sugar. As long as you’ve found what works for you then you should be OK.
We’re all built different and react to different foods, the trick is to find what “your” diver doesn’t like!!
Treblig
Yepp, you are right..Thanks for the advise!
@Treblig, I’ve been reading your posts with interest because I have a friend with Diverticulitis and also I had the childhood illnesses you had and also learned to listen to my body rather than rely on medical info which didn’t work. I like the way you manage your life and think for yourself. I’ve been reading that all illness is inflammation. I have found that “Wheelchair To Marathon” types of people have all been on the same diet. They successfully eliminate all foods which cause inflammation, and also mucous i.e.; all milk products, all grains, especially wheat, all sugars (including fruit, honey and artificial sweeteners, including candy and chocolate, wah!) and processed food which is anything in a box . Less red meats, more fish. If it has a face or roots it’s fine. If you think this is expensive, try disease. I do this. It works. I slip up, I’m in pain. Choose. I manage my diet very carefully as I would be bed bound in excruciating head to toe pain with inflammatory arthritis and IBS if I listened to doctors and the arthritis association. They do not understand the full impact of diet. They know pharmaceuticals and surgery. They do not address the underlying cause, just the symptoms. They have no training in diet specific for the individual. It’s all about the underlying cause and the underlying cause is diet. We often think we have inherited the problem and what we have inherited is the diet. The great thing is that this is also the Heart Health diet, the anti-Type 2 Diabetes diet, anti-Infammatory, etc etc. It’s all the same diet! To put yourself on the route to a healthy diet specific to you, you need a Nutritional Therapist. It’s a quicker route to health. Mine is great, BANT registered. She told me to also eliminate red peppers, aubergines, potatoes and spinach, the solanacea family of vegetables since they are inflammatory and too acid for my joints. And more. Brilliant.
You mention your symptoms started late in life. Do you know stomach acids reduce when our hormones shift? That’s why we could get away with grains etc earlier and not now. BTW the mercola.com nutrition website is brilliant and ahead of it’s time. Get in the site and look for “Health Articles” and type in Diverticulitis. It’s all there.
Best of luck Treblig. Good health to you all!
You wrote, “You mention your symptoms started late in life. Do you know stomach acids reduce when our hormones shift? That’s why we could get away with grains etc earlier and not now”.
I tend to agree with you because I used to eat tons of sugary foods/candy/cake/you name it!! I have always had a slender body so I could get away with it. Everyone else hated me for being able to eat anything and as much as I wanted. I’m still slender and I can still eat as much as I want but I can’t eat anything I want any more. Some people get to live their whole lives eating anything they want but some of us can’t. I did however get to enjoy lots of tasty foods/sweets for 60 years!! Now, sweets are not so important. Living “PAIN FREE” is important!! I’ve beaten my Diver for now and have complete control over my symptoms. My next QUEST is my Kidneys!! I’m in Stage II kidney failure and although it sounds bad it’s not that bad yet. As it turns out once your kidney’s efficiency gets below 90 percent you’re in Stage II kidney failure. There’s also Stage III and Stage IV and you don’t want to ever get to Stage V !!! So I’ve been seeing Master Choi. Master Choi is a Grand Master in martial arts and a master acupuncturist. He’s also practices Chinese medicine. When he was doing acupuncture on my feet (for a bone spur) he noticed the edema in my ankles (they were pretty fat/swollen). He immediately said in broken English, “You bad Kidney!!”. I told him that I see a Kidney Specialist annually and that I was in stage II kidney failure. Of course Master Choi knew that before I had even told him!! I also told him that my kidney specialist told me that it was normal for kidney function to decrease as we get older and for me not to worry about my swollen ankles. Master Choi emphatically said, “NOOOO!! He said that he could fix my kidneys. I’ve been seeing Master Choi for 20 years for acupuncture but had never taken any of the Chinese Medicine he dispenses. Well, long story short, I started the Chinese herb tea that he himself makes and packages. There are over 20 herbs in this concoction and I’m required to take it twice a day for one year. It’s been 3 months and the edema in my ankles has greatly decreased (it’s almost completely gone). It’s really hard to believe but my ankles are no longer swollen at the end of the day. Now it’s only been 3 months since I started the medicine, my ankles do still get very, very minimal swelling. I fact, I’m the only one who can tell there’s any swelling at all because it is so minimal. But it’s 10 times better than it was before the herbs!!
So, we’ll see!! In 9 months I return to my kidney specialist. I’ll get my usual full blood work up and we’ll get to see if my kidney function has improved. Even a 5-8 percent improvement would be enough to keep me out of Stage III kidney failure for at least 10-15 years!!
My plan is to outlive my kidneys!!!
Thanks for your encouragement!!
Treblig
Hi ANG, I have /HAD Inflammatory Bowell Disease or IBD for 10 years. I did not even know until diagnosed with Diverticulitis.I ate ALOT of SUGAR! But since I cut out simple carbs like sugar I feel better than I have in many years. I also was told by Drs. about nuts and seeds, but that advice did not work for me, not until I followed the lo-carb (simple carbs from sugar) no-sugar diet did my condition almost completely reverse and now I feel much better. I would recommend an internet search on the inflammation/sugar connection hope this helps.